Hi All - I'm new to the fig world (though my dad is Kurdish and every kurd seems to have at least 50 fig trees, so I'm certainly not new to eating them!). SO. I live in Los Angeles, and want two fig trees to plant in big barrels. I already got a black mission, and now am debating between:

Violette De Bordeaux
Peter's Honey
Kadota
White Genoa
Or a Panache Tiger (this one only comes in a 5 gallon, which I was trying to avoid, unless it's the hands down winner...or I could plan on getting it next year once I have two productive trees going.)

The violette de Bordeaux I've read good things about and I know it would be great in a container...but is it too similar to the black mission? I was hoping for something different, but taste is number one. Also, I have a three year old whom I'm hoping to get hooked on figs. :)

Thanks!

Welcome jijigirl!

All of us have trouble choosing - that's why we end up with so many varieties!  If it were me I would choose a white/green fig to contrast with your Black Mission.  Another thing to consider is ripening times - maybe choose one that ripens relatively early so you can extend the season that you get fresh figs.

Thank you!!

And by the way, I would like more and plan on adding at least one more fig next summer. I also have a volunteer tiny fig under a palm tree, that seems happy so I've left it there...I think it's the same as our neighbor's tree, which I don't know the name of but will post pictures when it gets fruit for help. In addition I have another tiny fig that came from my dad, and that's also a question mark - hoping it's one of his yellow ones that are amazing. So I've got two itsy bitsy trees, which is why I want big ones now so we can start eating figs pronto! :)

Thank you Rewton! Do you know of a site that lists the ripening times? I was thinking about that too but couldn't find the info. What do you guys think of Peter's Honey vs Kadota?

Welcome to the Forum......I would get the Kadota...I tasted the Kadota and Peter's Honey...3ft trees and the Kadota was sweeter and has a honey like taste......The Panache and Violette de Bordeaux are berry flavored.....both are winners....If I had to choose...the Panache seems to need less maintenance....My Violette de Bordeaux always had droopy leaves in the shade or in the sun.....the Panache did a lot better.......the White Genoa is a good lookin fruit, never tasted it....????   Good Luck, you will have a lot of different opinions. Hopefully we will help you decide.

Not an expert, but Armando's advice has merit. One dark and one light fig, then you decide. You may not like one or the other, and you can always switch out (or add another barrel).

I bet HarveyC will tell you to go with the Panache.

Thanks All. Between the White Genoa, The Peter's Honey, and the White Kadota, which do you think tastes best? Yes, i know, everyone will have different answers but I'd love to read them all :) I really want the Panache Tiger, but in a 5 gallon we won't have figs this summer, so I might wait on that....but boy do I want it.... (and thus the addiction begins...)

Welcome! Panchee is one excellent tasting fig! By being in S.Ca, any fig will do great for you!

Peter's Honey and Kadota are one of my favorites in the yellow category Both are very rich and will make you pass out with just one bite! If you love figs, then this time next year will probably have 20 trees! You can never have too many figs!!!!

Thank you! Do you know if Peter's Honey and Kadota ripen at the same time (in so cal)? And at the same time as Black Mission? Or if not, do you know if there's a place I can find that? I'm so excited.....

Okay guys, she lives in LA with the fig wasp. Are there figs besides common that would be better?

I definitely would like some more unusual types too, but I basically have to choose 1 tomorrow as my nursery can get only a handful in 15 gallon and I'm impatient and want them now. :) So I'd love thoughts on which from my list, but also some other less common ones.

If it were only one...the Panache

Alright. My husband will probably kill me if he finds out this is my plan (we've been planting a LOT lately), but I think I might get the Violette de Bordeaux AND the Panache Tiger. It means I need another barrel, but so be it. Those are the two I've really been wanting. What do you guys think? The Panache is only in a 5 gallon, so that means next year we'd get fruit?

I was also reading about ants...any suggestions as how to keep them away from the figs? The figs will be across from a row of about 7 orange trees, and I know there are ants around the trees.

Get them all.  Your Kurdish.  You will have at least 50 figs.  Don't fight it.  

HA! Yes, it's in my DNA. This is what I'm going to tell my husband when two fig trees arrive, along with the apple and plum. Sigh. :)

I started a lot of fig trees last winter and had some figs this past summer in a 3 gallon nursery pots.  5 gallon pot........you will have figs this year, no problem.  Try TangleFoot for the ants but be sure you place some kind of barrier around the tree (masking tape, painter tape, etc) before applying the TangleFoot on top of the tape.

Hi jujigirl,

Welcome to the forum. I also live in LA, we have the best possible climate for figs over here!

Any fig you mentioned, in a 5 gal will produce figs this year. The season is very long, ends in December.
If you want a very prolific green fig, I would get a Strawberry Verte. They grow super fast, super tasty and do not need much attention. Also, they love the sun!
Jon has a SV. Panache is a great fig but not as prolific.

I started a SV cutting last year in February, by December I already ate about 10 figs!

Thank you Greenfig! Where do you get your fig trees?

From
Jon
UCD
Generous members from this forum !

It takes time to get all you want, but in a year or two you can collect all 50! :)
Remember, the fig trees grow very fast! You do not need a huge tree right away.

By the way, thank you so much everyone. We've got a lot of other trees (9 orange, 2 lemon, 1 lime, 1 grapefruit, 1 pomegranate, 1 white nectarine, 1 peach, 1 asian pear, 1 apricot, 2 pecans) and a ton of other veggies (let me know if you have questions about tomatoes! those I know pretty well) but thus far we've KILLED 2 fig trees and so got scared of them. Both were put in the ground, in the same spot, and we're beginning to think there's something wrong with the soil (a eucalyptus is not far off?), which is why when I read they do well in containers I went into some sort of fig frenzy. :)

The fig trees do not like wet and soggy soil. You may have a better luck with barrels. Although I wouldn't plant a small tree in a large barrel right away

CA is fig paradise,you can't go wrong with any you are thinking about. even Brown Turkey might turn out good...

You wouldn't put the tree directly into the barrel? What would you do? And yes, the wet and soggy soil might have been it. We amended the past trees spots, but our soil is really clay, so maybe it wasn't enough.
And thanks Pete - I think my neighbor's tree is a brown turkey, but whatever it is is pretty good. Not amazing, but good.